


Requiem of a Dream

by NaliaRenegade



Series: Dreams and Reality [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: Community: ff_land, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-16
Updated: 2012-05-16
Packaged: 2017-11-05 12:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaliaRenegade/pseuds/NaliaRenegade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is a dream and what is reality? Hope isn’t sure anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Requiem of a Dream

The sun shines in his eyes and he groans. There is something warm in his bed. That warm thing shifts and an equally warm hand runs down his back. He shifts toward the touch, burying his head steadfast into his pillow.

The person in his bed chuckles, then leans down to whisper in his ear, “Wake up, Hope.”

Hope cracks a sleepy eye open and smiles at the flash of pink in his vision. “Light.”

She smiles softly, fondly. “Wake up, Director.”

He snorts and rolls over onto his side, wrapping and arm around her waist. “Not cute,” He murmurs against her skin.

“I am plenty cute, Director Hope Estheim.” A gentle hand runs through his hair.

There is a moment of silence. All he can hear is their combined breath and the sounds of Academia waking up. Hope’s eyes pop open suddenly and he sits upright. He puts hands on her shoulder, looking her right in the eyes. “You aren’t real.”

She looks slightly confused, “Hope…”

“You aren’t real. You aren’t my Lightning.”

“What are you talking about?” She stands and walks to the window, “You must still be upset about what happened. That’s not a surprise. It still bothers me. It bothers all of us, but we are real, Hope.”

Hope shakes his head, “No. It happens all of the time. I wake up and find you in my bed, always different locations, but always the same beginning. And you tell me to wake up. And I don’t want to. And then you lure me into believing that all of this is real, but it’s not. It’s never real. You are never there when I really wake up. You are always gone.”

Lightning shakes his head in return, “Hope, how do you know this isn’t real then?”

“Because you would never sleep with me. You would never wake up in the morning beside me in bed, with my marks on your skin, and be happy about it. Because I will never be in your league.”

“Oh Hope,” Lightning sighs and comes over, putting a hand on either side of his face. “I love you. You are who I have chosen to spend my whole life with. You are who I want to have by my side, more than anyone. You are my everything. Next to the end of the world, you are who I would choose above everything else. Don’t belittle my choice.”

Hope closes his eyes and shakes his head firmly, “This isn’t real. You aren’t real. I am really in Academia and Alyssa will come any second now to wake me up. Then I will have to wake up and go to work. And this will turn out to not be real.”

“Why does it bother you so much? If this isn’t real then shouldn’t you just enjoy this?”

“Because I want this.” Hope pins her, eyes sad. “I want you in my bed. And I want to wake up to your gentle touch every morning, not to Alyssa’s reminders that you aren’t here, that no one is here, that I am all alone. Because all of you left me, and you don’t have a right to come back as a dream.”

“I’m not a dream, Hope.” She reaches up and hugs him. “I am right here and I will never let you be alone again. I am sorry, Hope.”

His shoulders shake silently as he cries into her shoulder. There is a moment of silence as Hope calms down and lays back down beside her. She is gently stroking his neck and shoulders, eyes sad. Hope’s eyes slowly close as he gets used to the sensations on his skin.

~~~

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, “Director! Director Hope, wake up!”

Hope sat bolt right up in bed and looked beside him. Lightning was gone. There was no trace that she had ever been there in the first place. There was only the knocking and yelling on his bedroom door and the sun shining in from his window, Academia waking up outside. Hope sighed.

“Director! Wake-“

“Not cute!” Hope yelled in response then stood. “You are displaying lots of not cute behavior! I will be right there, Alyssa. Don’t worry, Academia won’t burn down without me. Besides, I’m not the Director anymore, remember?”

There was a sigh from the other side of the door, “I have your schedule for the day on the table along with a big breakfast. Hurry up and eat, Director.”

Hope sighed as Alyssa’s footsteps faded. This was real. Fang and Vanille were in crystal. Snow had long since disappeared to go find Lightning. Lightning was in Valhalla. Serah and Noel were jumping across the time stream and he was here. This was real. This had to be real.

Right?


End file.
